MY STORY
More about my background – I grew up in the Redlands, did a lot of sport growing up and fortunately was able travel around the world where I competed at numerous World Championship Competitions for Jump Rope Skipping. This was probably where my passion for well-being and self-development started. Being heavily involved in this sport from such a young age, I learnt self-discipline, to train hard and eat well. I worked out early on however that working hard and having a balanced diet would have been for nothing if my mindset wasn’t right…and this was it, I struggled to get it right most times. As I got older, I found that I was becoming less and less in control of my thoughts (even out of the sporting world). I allowed my fears to get in the way and generally ended up in an anxious mess.
I vividly remember my last World Championship competition where I competed in the open female freestyle event. I ended up psyching myself out on the competition floor in front of thousands of people. In a state of complete fear, I froze and ran off backstage. After what seemed like hours, was minutes and I eventually went back out on the floor and performed. Surprisingly I did a flawless performance and achieved 2nd place in the world for the Women’s Freestyle event. Was it worth it…. absolutely not! but this is a story for another time.
Aside from the challenges, I absolutely loved the sporting world and everything it had to offer. I loved being fit, healthy, having a focus and being part of a community. I loved it so much that when the decision came to leave the sport I had grown up with, I had not realised how difficult it would be to move forward. For 12 years, I was the “athlete” then suddenly I wasn’t. I felt like my identity had been stripped, I was lost, stuck and spiraled out of control.
Whilst suffering in silence, I fell into a deep depression, developed an eating disorder (which I didn’t realize at the time) and became somewhat self-destructive. These factors led me to make many poor life choices, one of which in particular cost me and my family. I knew I needed to turn my life around immediately. Fast forward a couple of months and with the love and support of my amazing family and friends, I started a new job and moved away from home to rebuild. On the outside, life was good, though I still felt a lot of shame and fear. I felt like I was constantly fighting a battle inside my mind. It wasn’t until I made the decision to study Kinesiology (purely for my own well-being) that my life started to turn around.
Kinesiology not only gave me a sense of purpose and direction, but it taught me just how powerful my subconscious and the human body is. I learnt about my anxiety, overcame my fears, started listening to myself and treating myself with respect and kindness – something I was very good at with others though not with myself. I am sure a lot of us can relate to this.
I have now learnt; it is not only about me anymore. I have a duty and responsibility now to guide and help you, as well as our younger generation. Life can be tough and challenging at times, which means we ALL need support every now and again.
Don’t wait until you suffer or hit rock bottom. Don’t wait for something to change and don’t settle for the life you have now if you believe that you are worthy of more. I have been where you are now, and I can honestly say that the work is absolutely worth it. YOU ARE WORTH IT so why not take a chance.
Court x